L LI NOI SUNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

PRODUCTION NOTE

University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign Library

Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007.

JUNE 1972VOLUME 25NUMBER 10

* -I I-

...- ---- -- 111

TH NVEST

OF CHICAG

EXPLANATION OF CODE SYMBOLS USED

WITH ANNOTATIONS

R Recommended

Ad Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more materialin the area.

M Marginal book that is so slight in content or has so many weaknesses in styleor format that it should be given careful consideration before purchase.

NR Not recommended

SpC Subject matter or treatment will tend to limit the book to specialized col-lections.

SpR A book that will have appeal for the unusual reader only. Recommendedfor the special few who will read it.

Except for pre-school years, reading range is given for grade rather than forage of child.

BULLrIN OF THE CENT CHD F EN'S Booxs is published monthly exceptAugust by The University of Chicago Press for The University of Chicago, Gradu-ate Library School. Mrs. Zena Sutherland, Editor. An advisory committee meetsweekly to discuss books and reviews. The members are Yolanda Federici, SaraFenwick, Marjorie Hoke, Isabel McCaul, and Charlemae Rollins.

SUBSCaeITIO RATEs: 1 year, $6.00; $5.00 per year for each additional subscrip-tion to the same address. Single copy price: $1.00. Checks should be made payableto The University of Chicago Press. All notices of change of address should provideboth the old and the new address. Address all inquiries about subscriptions to TheUniversity of Chicago Press, 5801 Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637.

EDITomAL CO PESPONDENCE, review copies and all correspondence about re-views should be sent to Mrs. Zena Sutherland, 1100 East 57th Street, Chicago,Illinois 60687.

Second-class postage paid at Chicago, Illinois.

© 1972 by the University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

Bulletinof the Center for Children's BooksTHE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO * GRADUATE LIBRARY SCHOOL

Volume 25 JUNE, 1972 Number 10

New Titles for Children and Young People

Agle, Nan (Hayden). K Mouse and Bo Bixby; drawings by Harold Berson. Seabury, 1972.96p. $4.95.

Nine-year-old Robert (Bo) Bixby sees a kangaroo mouse when he and his parentsAd come out to the site of their new home with the contractor, Mr. Voleo. Bo is4-5 enthralled and immediately decides that he will catch K (for kangaroo) for a pet

and that he will protect the animal from Mr. Voleo's stated dislike. The chapters aretold alternately from Bo's viewpoint and that of the mouse, as the house grows andfree space for wild creatures dimishes. The message is a worthy one, and the ending(house finished, boy deciding to give the mouse a home rather than catch it, mousemoving in) shows a concern for animals-although not all readers (or their parents)may cheer at the thought of making mice welcome. The weaknesses of the story arethat so little happens, and that the two sets of chapters never really coalesce.

Aldridge, Josephine Haskell. Reasons and Raisins; by Josephine and Richard Aldridge; illus.by John Larrecq. Parnassus, 1972. 31p. Trade ed. $3.75; Library ed. $3.78 net.

A nonsensical story with a bit of a bite here and there is illustrated with colorfulR pictures, beautifully detailed. A box of raisins looks tempting to Little Fox, but hisK-2 mother says that too much of anything will make you sick; actually, she wants the

fruit kept for a pudding. Little Fox takes the box, cadges a lift from Crow, isdumped (with the raisins) into the lap of a circus fat lady, escapes from her and herdog, is held up by a weasel, and gets home with the box of raisins. He gets aspanking but also gets his favorite dessert for dinner-raisin pudding. The "realreason" behind ostensible ones is used throughout the story, a device that maymake the listening audience interested in motivation, but it is more than probablethat they will enjoy the story for its circus setting, charming illustrations, livelyaction, and final note of reassurance.

Almedingen, E. M. Anna (Anna Khlebnikova de Poltoratzky, 1770-1840). Farrar, 1972.180p. $4.50.

Another volume based on the author's family history, much of the material hereR gathered from the writings of Almedingen's great-grandmother, Anna Poltoratzky,8-10 and told in first person. Although at times the chronicle moves slowly, it is

engrossing as a picture of a Moscow merchant's family of the late eighteenthcentury, and the book should especially appeal to readers who enjoy the myriaddetails that give historical writing verisimilitude. There is little that is dramatic inAnna's life, since she lives quietly at home, tutored in a fashion unusual for girls ofthat era, the only large events in her girlhood being a meeting with the Tsarina(Catherine the Great) and her only brother's decision to marry an Englishwoman

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and leave Russia forever. The story concludes with Anna's marriage, although anepilogue describes briefly the events of the remainder of her life. A glossary isappended.

Amoss, Berthe. The Very Worst Thing; written and illus. by Berthe Amoss. Parents'Magazine, 1972. 35p. Trade ed. $3.95; Library ed. $3.78 net.

Amiably frenetic drawings illustrate the tale of a child who describes his veryAd first day at a new school, the humor of the pictures reflecting that of the text.K-2 Some Awful Things happen, like finding out that nobody, but nobody else brings

hard-boiled eggs, or like making a mistake when looking for the boys' room, but itbecomes increasingly clear that the other children are really very friendly, thatTom's real problem is apprehension. Indeed, by the time he has been absorbed intothe gang in after-school play, he too knows that the very worst thing is alreadyover. The text verges on cuteness once or twice but is on the whole child-like,particularly in the dialogue, and the message seems to be that school is fun and notthe worst thing at all.

Baker, Eugene. I Want to be a Waitress; illus. by Richard Mlodock. Childrens Press, 1972.31p. Trade ed. $3.25; Library ed. $2.44 net.

One of a series of books that are job-oriented, the simple vocabulary, large print,M and subject interest indicating that the books are best suited for the slow older3-5 reader who faces a decision about employment. The information about being a

waitress is given within a fictional framework (a girl at camp talks to a campwaitress) that is not too convincing and seems unnecessary. There is some value inthe idea that menial work is dignified enough to merit consideration, but the readerwho is approaching working age is not likely to be enthralled by a career-guidancebook that begins, "Lisa was happy. She had never been to camp before. She metnew friends. She played new games."

Batterberry, Michael. Children's Homage to Picasso; by Michael Batterberry and ArianeRuskin; with 52 drawings by Picasso and 48 by the children of Vallauris. Abrams,1972. 106p. $12.50.

Pablo Picasso was so pleased by the gift he received on his 85th birthday fromR the children of Vallauris, a collection of their drawings of bullfights, that he added5- some of his own, selected the best of theirs, and suggested they be printed as a

book. The text gives some facts about the artist and about bullfighting, and theillustrations are artfully arranged, the deft lines of a Picasso drawing coming alwaysas a surprise after pages of the naive and vigorous pictures by the children.

Beatty, Patricia. O the Red Rose Tree; illus. by Liz Dauber. Morrow, 1972. 222p. Trade ed.$4.95; Library ed. $4.59 net.

A story set in the state of Washington at the turn of the century. At firstAd Amanda and her friends think the old lady who has moved into an old shack is a5-6 witch, but the girls soon find that Mrs. Hankinson is gentle and friendly. They

decide to help her find the pieces of red material she needs-seven shades ofred-for a rose-patterned quilt. Amanda is especially anxious to have the rose quiltwin a prize because her tyrannical grandmother expects to going on taking firstprize every year. On a visit to Portland, Amanda encounters a flood, becomesfriendly with an opera star, helps a Chinese worker, and returns with the seventhpiece of red material. The characters tend to be stereotypical, although they range

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from sugar to vitriol (grandma, who is nobody's ideal grandmother) and the storyseems padded with busy incidents, but the historical background and period detailsare colorful and the enterprising heroine sees plenty of action.

Bendick, Jeanne. Measuring; written and illus. by Jeanne Bendick. Watts, 1971. 72p.(Science Experiences). $3.95.

A continuous text first discusses linear measurement, going to some lengths inAd comparing the two systems of measuring (with the metric system shown as more3-5 practical) and going on to measuring in two and in three directions, and measuring

capacity and weight. The process approach is used, with red-banded headings,"Think for yourself" on some pages. Clear as the text and its illustrations are inhandling each aspect of the topic of measurement, the progression of aspects of thetopic in a continuous text means coverage of many concepts and terms incomparatively few pages; it is possible that the reader may feel overwhelmed by somuch material. The one weakness of the book is that it asks questions (' How doyou think an anemometer measures the speed of the wind?" . .. "Radar measuresdistance by time. Can you guess how?") which the reader cannot be expected toanswer on the basis of logic plus information in the book. There is a list of answersat the back of the book-but not for all questions. An index is appended.

Bolliger-Savelli, Antonella. The Knitted Cat.Macmillan, 1972. 20p. illus. $4.95.

A story told only in pictures is slight in essence: a small girl knits a cat, a mouseM ravels it, the girl knits a new tail. There doesn't seem to be enough action to3-5 compensate for the lack of detail that might expand the plot in print, and theyrs. illustrations have a static quality: large areas of color, sometimes harsh, with some

pages that are busy, others that are effective.

Branley, Franklyn Mansfield. Oxygen Keeps You Alive; illus. by Don Madden. T. Y. Crowell,1971. 32p. $3.75.

Another good book in a fine series, Oxygen Keeps You Alive is perfectly clear,R simply told, and accurate. The illustrations amplify the text, which describes how2-3 oxygen in the air we breathe is carried throughout the body, how people who are

not able to get oxygen (astronauts who leave their ships, divers, climbers of highmountains) must carry a supply, and how other life forms (fish, plants) use oxygen.A few home demonstrations are suggested to show that there is air in water andthat boiling removes that air.

Brooks, Polly Schoyer. When the World was Rome; 753 B.C. to A.D. 476; by Polly SchoyerBrooks and Nancy Zinsser Walworth. Lippincott, 1972. 23 5 p. illus. $6.95.

A history of Rome is told in painstaking detail and in conservative style, withR emphasis on leaders and battles, intrigue and succession. There is no broad canvas7-12 here, but a series of meticulously researched studies: a great deal of attention is, for

example, given to Galen and his work, and to the architecture of Pliny's summerestate, but little that describes the life of the common people or the Romancolonies. The book is written carefully; the captions for illustrations are lesscareful-the text refers, for example, to the hut of Romulus thus: "'The foundationsof a primitive mid-eighth-century dwelling-which may have been his-have beenfound by modern archeologists." The picture of a thatched hut, two pages earlier, islabelled, "The hut of Romulus." Solid, accurate, and informative, a boon to thelover of history. An extensive bibliography and an index are appended.

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Brouwer Ad de. Creating with Flexible Foam. Sterling, 1972. 48p. illus. $2.95.

Photographs of figures-in-process as well as of finished beast and human formsAd illustrate some of the objects that can be made with polyurethane, the plastic called6-9 flexible foam. The instructions are clear, but there is little variety in the objects

suggested, and the not-infrequent references to the "astonishingly real" appearanceof the animals or people are perhaps more opinion than fact. Both the figures andthe various decorative ideas given at the end of the book are amusing, but theypersist in looking like flexible foam.

Brown, Marcia Joan. The Bun; A Tale from Russia. Harcourt, 1972. 30p. illus. $4.95.

A variant of the story of the gingerbread boy, illustrated with vigorous, almostAd strident pictures marred by the tight binding. With the last of their flour, an oldK-2 woman made the bun her husband had requested, only to see it (round, and smiling

mischievously) roll off through the doorway. Using its wiles to escape the oldcouple and several animals that want to eat it, the bun goes merrily on its way untilit meets an opponent even more sly, the fox. End of bun. The cumulation andrepetition in the bun's song, the lively action in both the illustrations and the story,and the concept of the story are appealing, but neither in the writing nor in theillustrations is this distinguished.

Bryan, Ashley, ad. The Ox of the Wonderful Horns and Other African Folktales; retold andillus. by Ashley Bryan. Atheneum, 1971.41p. $5.95.

Five stories are retold and are illustrated in woodcuts that are bold in design andAd color, stylized and effectively African in mood. Four of the tales are about animals3-5 and their trickery, one of them ("Frog and His Two Wives") a "why" story; the

title story is on the familiar theme of the outcast youth who, with the aid of magic,gains love and success. The stories have humor and action but the style of theretelling does not quite capture the flow and cadence of the oral tradition.

Buck, Margaret Waring. How They Grow; written and illus. by Margaret Waring Buck.Abingdon, 1972. 40p. $4.50.

A description of the reproductive cycles of various forms of animal life, a pageAd or two being devoted to each. Since the text includes such different creatures as3-5 insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, the treatment given to each

is of necessity superficial in a book of so few pages. The information is accurate andthe careful drawings helpful, but the brevity of the text makes this only anintroduction to a subject more fully covered in many books for the middle gradesreader. An index that gives both common and scientific names serves as a table ofcontents, although the entries are under specific rather than general names:"Red-legged grasshopper," and "Pumpkinseed sunfish" for example. A dividedbibliography is appended.

Callahan, Dorothy. Under Christopher's Hat; illus. by Carole M. Byard. Scribner, 1972. 28p.$4.95.

Only the illustrations indicate that the protagonist, in this read-aloud storyAd about imaginative play, is black. Christopher's assortment of hats lends authentic-K-2 ity, in his mind, to being milkman, fireman, detective, and cowboy, in a day of play

punctuated by encounters with Mrs. Jones (his mother) who obligingly feeds himand goes along with his make-believe. There is a mild humor in the use of

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Christopher's dog as a bear or steer in the role-playing, but the writing is otherwiserather static. However, both the idea of a happy and busy day spent in constructiveplay and the fact that both of Christopher's parents are so understanding arevaluable assets.

Chernoff, Goldie Taub. Puppet Party; illus. by Margaret A. Hartelius. Walker, 1972. 22p.$2.95.

Although the instructions for making various kinds of puppets are not alwaysAd detailed, this is a good introduction to puppetry because of the variety and3-6 simplicity of the material it includes: finger puppets, hand puppets, and puppets

made from socks, mittens, rolls of cardboard, paper plates, etc. The illustrationsshow colorful basic materials that would need coloring in actuality: for example,cardboard rolls are shown as green and yellow, paper bags in several shades, whereasmost tubes and bags are of a uniform color and would need painting ofcrayoning-for which no instructions are given. The text consists only ofinstructions, with no background or overall suggestions, although a few ideas forstaging and a list of materials are added at the close of the book.

Cimino, Maria. The Disobedient Eels; And Other Italian Tales; with pictures by ClaireNivola. Pantheon Books, 1971. 53 p. Trade ed. $3.50; Library ed. $4.49 net.

Seventeen stories from different parts of Italy (the region or city oftenM mentioned in the tale) are illustrated by pale, often busy, drawings. The stories3-5 vary: some are really so brief as to be only jokes, some depend so much upon latent

content as to be vapid for the reader who doesn't share the association, while somehave the true robust humor of the folk tale. All, in varying degrees, are funnystories, but not many in this collection are outstanding, chietly because of thetendency toward a flat ending-and in a funny story, a flat punch line is a seriousoffense.

Clements, Bruce. From Ice Set Free; The Story of Otto Kiep. Farrar, 1972. 215p. $5.50.

A testament to a man of probity, written by his son-in-law. Otto Kiep's familyAd was German, and he had been instilled with ideas of the greatness of that country8-10 by his parents, all through his childhood in Scotland, where he was born. A soldier

in the German army in the first world war, Kiep became a lawyer and diplomat, hisprinciples of justice sorely tried by the excesses of the Hitler regime, which heserved until his open pessimism about the war led to his being taken as a politicalprisoner, and eventually to his being hanged. Although the author's admirationborders on reverence and each of Kiep's actions is accepted uncritically (his signingof a loyalty oath to Hitler while on an assignment in Chile, for example, is excusedby "If they hadn't done it, the mission would have failed. And who would havebeen hurt? Not Adolf Hitler, but a lot of German workers...") the book gives aninteresting picture of Otto Kiep as an individual and as a prototype of thereasonable man caught in a situation that divides his loyalties, and it is written withgood characterization and a flair for vivid description.

Coles, Robert. Saving Face; illus. by Robert Lowe. Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1972. 118p.$4.95.

"If we had dark skin they'd be handling out welfare checks and patting us on theAd back, the government and the college crowd and the rich ones out in the suburb.5-7 But all we are is white people, working people, plain ordinary Americans." That's

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what Andy's father says, and Andy (who tells the story) has absorbed his attitudes.When a busing program brings black children to Andy's school, it is particularlyexacerbating to his father, a policeman, to be on duty. When tension and protesterupt in the school community, Andy sees prejudice in action; learning to knowsome of the newcomers and to understand their problems, Andy's prejudice iseroded to a realistic degree. While his viewpoint changes (helped by the ideas of anolder brother who often quarrels with their father) Andy has not yet escaped hisparents' bigotry. They are not going to change-but he is still young, and there ishope. The story has a plot, but it is more an exploration of a situation and ofattitudes, offering no pat answers but giving an honest picture of a child's firstquestioning of parental values and a coruscating picture of prejudice.

Cottrell, Leonard. The Mystery of Minoan Civilization. World, 1971. 128p. illus. Trade ed.$4.95; Library ed. $5.22 net.

Through the work of archeologists, primarily that of Sir Arthur Evans, theR palace at Knossos has emerged to enthrall and puzzle later scientists. There is little8- in this account that cannot be found in other surveys of Cretan exploration and

comparisons of Crete and Mycenae, but this is one of the more smoothly written ofthe many books on the subject. Details of finds and of facts that substantiatedtheories or raised new questions are incorporated with skill into a text that goesinto considerable detail about the work of Ventris and about the possible causes forthe destruction of Cretan palaces and cities. A final chapter describes recent (the1960s) discoveries. An index is appended.

Domanska, Janina, Illus. If All the Seas Were One Sea; etchings by Janina Domanska.Macmillan, 1971. 29p. $4.95.

The familiar nursery rhyme about a tree made of all the trees in the world fallingR into a sea made of all the seas in the world ("... what a splish splash that would3-5 be!") is illustrated with the intricate but not too-busy geometric figures that areyrs. distinctively Domanska's style. The designs are stunning and sophisticated, and

color is used with enough restraint so that the two do not compete.

Edwards, Julie. Mandy; illus. by Judith Gwyn Brown. Harper, 1971. 188p. Trade ed. $4.95;Library ed. $4.43 net.

Ten-year-old Mandy climbs over the orphanage wall and finds a wee desertedM cottage; for months she works at clearing and planting. One day she finds that4-6 somebody else has been working in the garden and has left a note signed, "An

Admirer." One day Mandy is missing, and the matron calls the property-owner nextdoor; he goes out into the storm, brings Mandy home to his cozy house and hisloving wife and his friendly son-all of which may just lead the reader to suspectadoption is in the offing. It is, and the book ends on as sentimental and Victorian anote as it has maintained throughout. Very sugary, very bland, and quite pedestrianin style.

Emberley, Ed. Ed Emberley's Drawing Book; Make a World; written and illus. by EdEmberley. Little, 1972. 31p. $3.95.

Like many other drawing books, this uses the step-by-step technique: start withM a square, or some other figure, add a line here, a dot there, and voila! a train or cat3-5 or lobster pot.The book is colorful; while it can give children ideas about the use of

shapes in space, it probably teaches them to copy rather than to draw. Double-page

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spreads are devoted to topics (animals, boats, "inside stuff," ' outside stuff," etc.)with each page divided horizontally into narrow bands, each filled with a series ofprogressive drawings, so that the pages are gay but are crowded with tiny pictures,too small-scale to be very useful, save for adults working with bulletin boards.

Feelings, Muriel L.Moja Means One; Swahili Counting Book; pictures by Tom Feelings. Dial,1971. 20p. $4.50.

Swahili for numbers one to ten is given in a counting book illustrated with softlyR drawn pictures, strong in composition, that show aspects of East African life. The4-7 digits are followed by the Swahili word, its phonetic pronunciation, and a sentenceyrs. in which the names of objects that are to be counted are printed in the same dark

red as the Swahili word, the rest of the print in black. "Snowy Kilimanjaro is thehighest mountain in Africa... Many kinds of animals roam the grassy savannahlands... The Nile River, which flows between Uganda and Egypt, is filled withfish .. ." (one mountain, five animals, seven fish). Although such references to riverboundaries or to mountains may mean little to children young enough to belearning to count, the setting, the use of Swahili words, and the serenity and dignityof the pictures make this an impressive addition to the genre.

Feuerlicht, Roberta Strauss. Zhivko of Yugoslavia; photographs by Herbert A. Feuerlicht.Messner, 1971. 64p. Trade ed. $3.95; Library ed. $3.79 net.

Like the Gidal books and the many comparable books that describe a culture byR focusing on the life of one child's family, this text is concerned both with the3-6 family and with the town and the country in which they live. The writing is direct

and matter-of-fact, the description of Zhivko's activities interspersed with informa-tion about the earthquake that almost demolished the town (Skopje, capital ofMacedonia) and the holiday ceremonies in memory of that day. There is somematerial about Tito and about Yugoslavian history and government, a bit abouteducation, and so on, but most of the text discusses such homely things as Zhivko'schores and Baba's cooking. Pleasantly low-keyed. A pronunciation guide isappended.

Gauch, Patricia Lee. Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys; illus. by Margot Tomes. Coward,1972. 63p. $4.29.

Large, clear print and sentences that are not too long make this historically-Ad based fiction easy for primary-grades children to read, and the separation of the2-3 text into chapters lends it a dignity they appreciate. Nine-year-old Aaron is anxious

to do his share in the fight against the British, but his dreams of glory are notrealized; all his family will let him do is saw wood for the ovens that will bake thesoldiers' bread. The British threaten Bennington, and the inhabitants wait anxiouslyfor help to come from the Green Mountain Boys. When the hungry troops arriveand devour the bread, Aaron realizes that he has, indeed, done his share. Thedialogue is heavily laden with exclamatory remarks and the ending of the story isweak, but it has historical interest, plenty of action, and a protagonist with whomreaders can identify, since his achievements are realistic.

Hampton, Doris. Just for Manuel; illus. by Carol Rogers. Steck-Vaughn, 1971. 32p. $3.25.

The apartment Manuel lives in is crowded, and he yearns for some place he canM call his own. He tries establishing squatter's rights under the kitchen table, but he is2-3 in the way; he plays in the hallway and disturbs a neighbor; he pre-empts the broom

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closet. Just right! His older brother and sisters agree that he has found a good place,and his understanding mother, when she comes home from work, agrees to let himhave his supper in his very own place. A slight story, static in style, that may evokesympathy from young readers who understand Manuel's need, but this has neitherthe vitality nor the tenderness of Elizabeth Hill's Evan's Comner, which treats thesame problem.

Harnan, Terry Gordon Parks; Black Photographer and Film Maker; illus. by Russell Hoover.Garrard, 1972. 96p. $2.79.

A biography that begins in Parks' fifteenth year, with the death of his motherAd and his subsequent move to St. Paul to live with a married sister. His brother-in-law3-6 threw the young man out, and from there on Gordon Parks made it on his own,

working as a waiter and in the C.C.C. before he became interested in photography.The book has only a little information (but enough) about Parks' personal life, andit is candid about the prejudice he encountered. It is weakened by the style, flat intone and occasionally overwritten; some of the incidents are described with morevitality and smoothness in Turk's Gordon Parks (reviewed in the November, 1971issue) although that is for younger readers.

Harris, Rosemary. The Bright and Morning Star. Macmillan, 1972. 254p. $4.95.

First published in England, the third of a trilogy of which the first, The Moon inR the Cloud (winner of the Carnegie Medal) was reviewed in the June, 1970 issue and5-8 the second, The Shadow on the Sun, in the June, 1971 issue. The appeal of familiar

characters and the deft mixture of period details and fanciful humor in theEgyptian setting (the land is called Kemi) and the vigor of the writing style add tothe attraction of a fast-moving plot. Reuben and Thamar have come from Canaanwith their son, hoping to find a cure for the sick boy, and they become involved inthe power struggle that is going on in Kemi, the evil No-Hotep, advisor to thePrince, pitted against the wise advisor to the Princess Ta-Thata, the half-sister whois to rule jointly over the land.

Heady, Eleanor B. The Soil that Feeds Us; illus. by Robert Frankenberg. Parents' Magazine,1972. 64p. $3.78.

Giving good coverage, but sedately written, this discusses the formation, erosion.Ad and enrichment of soil, and the ways in which soil contributes-directly or3-5 indirectly-to plant and animal life. The variation in soils and the ways in which

man can control or improve them are also described. The illustrations are deftlydrawn; on some illustrative pages there is no indication of scale. On the whole, auseful book for earth studies and ecology, minimally marred by the occasionalquestion that seems condescending: "Can you think of other plant parts weeat? .. . Can you think of other things we use every day that are made of wood?" Arelative index is appended.

Heide, Florence Parry. The Shrinking of Treehorn; drawings by Edward Gorey. HolidayHouse, 1971. 64p. $3.95.

Edward Gorey's sophisticated drawings are exactly right for this tongue-in-cheekAd story with a fanciful plot and meaningful dialogue, especially amusing for readers3-5 with a dry sense of humor. Treehorn is a boy and his shrinking is literal. He gets

smaller and smaller, trips on his own clothes, cannot reach things, and is almostentirely disregarded by his parents. ("I wonder if he's doing it on purpose. Just to

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be different.") His teacher says, "Nursery school is down the hall, honey," butwhen she realizes that the tot is indeed a shrunken Treehorn, she says firmly,".... see that it's taken care of before tomorrow. We don't shrink in this class."Perhaps meant as an acid comment on the failure of communications betweengenerations or even between individuals, the book comes off as a piquant ploy.

Henriod, Lorraine. The Rock Hunters; illus. by Paul Frame. Putnam, 1972. 46p. (See andRead Storybooks). $3.29.

Matt and Danny go off to the mountains with Danny's father who is a scienceAd teacher at a university; the boys are going to hunt specimens for their rock2-4 collection and Professor Kasai to look for a petrified log. The story serves as a

vehicle for presenting information about fossils and aspects of geology (occasionallymisleading) and information is fairly smoothly integrated with narration. Danny,who is black, knows all the correct procedures for collecting, and sets an examplefor Matt, enthusiastic but bumbling; the relationship is amiable, and it is Matt whoaccidentally finds the log after Professor Kasai has given up hope, but there is noquestion about which boy is the more competent.

Kandell, Alice. Sikkim; The Hidden Kingdom; text and photographs by Alice Kandell.Doubleday, 1971. 62p. Trade ed. $5.95; Library ed. $6.70 net.

Although limited in its usefulness as a source of information by the lack of indexAd or table of contents, and weakened by an occasional contradiction ("... everyone6-9 is kind and considerate to each other..." but "If a person... has commited a

crime .. .") this is a book that should appeal because of its exotic quality. Lying onthe old trade route between India and Tibet, high in the Himalayas, the country ofSikkim is governed by King Palden Thondup Namgyal and his American queen. Thebook is adequately written, giving historical, cultural, geographic, and economicfacts; the handsome photographs (many in color) are, unfortunately, withoutcaptions, but they make visible the beauty of the country and corroborate thedetails noted by the author (a college friend of Queen Hope's) on her visit toSikkim.

Kantrowitz, Mildred. Good-bye, Kitchen; pictures by Mercer Mayer. Parents' Magazine,1972. 33p. Trade ed. $3.95; Library ed. $3.78 net.

Friends leave. One mourns. Life goes on. Emily combines a babysitting job withAd watching the furniture that belongs to her friend Junie's family being taken out.K-2 Sitting on the front steps with little Rufus, munching steadily through a bag of

food she has brought along, Emily says farewell to the familiar objects: "'Good-bye,white dishes with your yellow borders that I had chicken and rice on two nightsago ... good-bye, red chairs with your cold smooth seats and good-bye, forks andknives and spoons and cake mixer that made brownies... ." and so on, roomful byroomful. The litany is interrupted periodically by little Rufus wandering off andconcluded by an interesting delivery of new furniture by another set of movers, avanload that includes a girl's bicycle, just the right size. Not substantial in content,the story is appealing because of the familiarity of the objects, the lightness andhumor of the style, and the echoing breeziness of the illustrations.

Kaufmann, John. Bats in the Dark; written and illus. by John Kaufmann. T. Y. Crowell,1972. 33p. (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Books). Trade ed. $3.75; Library ed. $4.50net.

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A very good first book on the subject for primary grades readers, giving majorR facts succinctly: the bat is a mammal, it is nocturnal in its habits, it locates food by2-3 ultrasonic echo, and there are many varieties of bats. Each fact is given enough

amplification to make it comprehensible, but not so much that the younger readerwill be confused.

Kerr, Judith. Wheh Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit; written and illus. by Judith Kerr. Coward,1972. 191p. $4.95.

The story of a Jewish German refugee family is based on the author's life, and itR has the illuminating verisimilitude of detail and the acuteness of observation that4-7 come from personal experience. Although the jacket states that "one day her father

was unaccountably, frighteningly missing," the book describes Anna's father'sdeparture as deliberate, for he realized what would happen when Hitler came topower. Joined by his wife and children in Switzerland, Anna's father decided totake his family to France. Interesting both as a family story and a wartime story,the book is particularly appealing for its reflection of a range of attitudes and as apicture of the adaptability and courage of displaced persons.

Klein, David. Great Infielders of the Major Leagues; illus. with photographs. Random House,1972. 140p. Trade ed. $1.95; Library ed. $3.37 net.

The great names of baseball have not been left to moulder in oblivion, so there isAd little here that is not covered in other books-but to baseball fans, reminiscence is6-9 always pleasurable, and to young people who play infield positions, a catalogue of

heroes should be alluring. Twelve profiles of outstanding players are included (threefor each position) and the writing, capable journeyman sports reporting, describessome of the highlights of their careers.

Lansing, Elisabeth Carleton (Hubbard). The Sumerians: Inventors and Builders. McGraw-Hill, 1971. 176p. illus. $7.71.

Handsomely illustrated with photographs, many in full color, that show theR artifacts, art objects, and architecture of the Sumerians, this study of their culture7-10 is written competently, in a straightforward but informal style. The first chapters

describe the work of early archeologists and the first finds, then go on to givehistorical background for the later chapters, in which various aspects of Sumerianculture are discussed separately: art, religion, education, etc. One chapter "AStranger in Nippur," is written in narrative style; quotations from source materialsoccur frequently throughout the text of the book, and the epics of Gilgamesh aresummarized in the last chapter. The high gloss of the pages is a weakness of anotherwise excellent survey. A reading list and a relative index are appended.

Larsen, Peter. The United Nations; At Work throughout the World; devised andphotographed by Peter Larsen; ed. by Egon Larsen; illus. with 130 photographs.Lothrop, 1971. 127p. Trade ed. $4.95; Library ed. $4.59 net.

Although a brief introduction gives facts about the founding and the structure ofAd the United Nations, the book is actually about U. N. agencies. Each chapter4-6 describes one agency, and each begins with a sentence or two about a child-but the

material is not really related to that child, and the agencies help people withoutregard to age (although the implication is that these U. N. agencies primarily helpchildren.) The book is profusely illustrated with photographs, many of children.Since over a dozen agencies are described and since many of the pages are given

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over to photographs, the amount of information about each agency is minimal,useful though it may be.

Leach, Christopher. Kate's Story. Four Winds, 1972. 128p. Trade ed. $3.95; Library ed.$4.12 net.

After her father's accidental death, Katie and her mother move to London,Ad where Katie's loneliness and her worry about her secret are aggravated by her6-9 mother's plans to marry again. But she isn't Katie's mother, that's the secret-for a

neighbor has let slip the fact that Katie is adopted. Her resemblance to a motionpicture star convinces Katie that she is the child of the frail, glamorous Eva Stewart,and she rejects the adoptive mother who by her new interest seems (to Katie) tohave rejected her daughter. Katie gets into trouble after being involved in ademonstration, but she has by then made a new friend and gained a new maturitythat enable her, when her mother comes to visit her at the detention home, toaccept love and to realize that she, Katie, is whatever she is whoever her naturalparents were. The story line is not strong, but some of the incidents are, and thesituation is developed with realism and pace. Characterization is not deep, but it issolid, and the writing style-smooth, and with good dialogue-makes the story flowsmoothly.

Lemke, Horst.Places and Faces. Scroll Press, 1971. 28p. illus. $3.95.

An oversize book has busy pictures in Richard Scarry style, and no text.M Although the introduction suggests that the illustrations "offer children a2-5 wonderful chance to create their own stories" the pictures have no developingyrs. action and seem better suited to use by pre-readers as a compilation of activities or

objects related to a place: a zoo, a plant nursery, an airport, et cetera. Children maybe intrigued by small differences between the details of a European scene (despitesome English in the painted signs within the illustrations) and the more familiarAmerican.

McClung, Robert M. Bees, Wasps, and Hornets; And How they Live; written and illus. byRobert M. McClung. Morrow, 1971. 64p. Trade ed. $3.95; Library ed. $3.78 net.

Written with lucid simplicity, this is a discussion of the order Hymenoptera thatR is authoritative in both the writing and in the carefully detailed drawings. A3-5 description of general characteristics such as the four life stages, the membranous

wings, and the characteristic wasp waist is followed by brief discussions ofindividual members of the order, giving facts about nest building, the evolution anduse of the sting, eating habits, behavior patterns, et cetera. All of the material isinteresting, but the communications system of the bee and the fact that bees aremore useful to men than are other members of the order makes the section on beesparticularly valuable. An index is appended.

May, Julian. Islands of the Tiny Deer; illus. by Rod Ruth. Scott/Addison-Wesley, 1972. 43p.$4.50.

A description of the small whitetail deer of the Florida keys, illustrated withAd pictures that are-with few exceptions-overly busy. The text is simply and clearly4-6 written, giving facts about habits and habitat, and discussing at length the probable

adaptation to environmental changes that has produced a species so much smallerthan the other whitetail deer of North America. The book closes with a discussionof the conservation measures that have successfully built up the herds after theywere threatened with extinction.

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Meyer, Renate. Hide-and-Seek. Bradbury, 1972. 24p. illus. $4.95.

A picture book without words tells the story of two children's game of hide andR seek, with the elusive boy's blue clothes always tantalizingly visible to the reader; in4-6 every picture (some single-, some double-page spreads) the blue can be seen as wellyrs. as the red dress of the pursuing girl. The intricate and colorful pictures follow the

two from garden to house and out into the garden again, where the game ends.Although the illustrations haven't the boldness of color and composition of CharlesKeeping (the artist's husband) they are like Keeping's in the vigorous use of colorand in the handling of the human form.

Molnar, Joe, ed. Graciela: A Mexican-American Child Tells Her Story. Watts, 1972. 48p.illus. $4.50.

Graciela is twelve years old, one of ten children in a Chicano family, and sheR describes their yearly trip to Michigan to pick produce, their efforts to improve4-6 financial conditions and to get an education. She is candid about the prejudice

against Mexican-Americans in their Texas town, but does not dwell on it, and shespeaks with affection of her older sister, her father's going to school, a youngerbrother's illness. The text is based on taped interviews, the style matter-of-fact; theillustrations show a neat white house and a family of attractive children. The bookdoes not negate the sorrier plight of most migrants and many Chicanos, but addsanother dimension.

Mother Goose. Mother Goose; The Classic Volland Edition; re-arranged and ed. by EulalieOsgood Grover; illus. by Frederick Richardson. Hubbard, 1971. 154p. $5.95.

First published in 1915, an edition to which 140 rhymes have now been added.Ad The book contains the original illustrations, now very old-fashioned, and is2-5 probably of more interest to the adult for its historical use than to the child whoyrs. today has a choice of so many more attractively-illustrated editions. A first-line

index is appended.

Newlon, Clarke. Famous Mexican-Americans; illus. with photographs. Dodd, 1972. 187p.$3.95.

Although the writing is this collective biography is often tinged with floridR journalese, it is lively and informal, enthusiastic rather than adulatory. The6-9 foreword, by a Chicano psychiatrist and educator, gives good background for the

biographies of twenty Chicanos who have become known for their achievements inmany fields. Anglos can learn; Chicanos can be proud-that is the message. A list ofsource materials and an index are appended.

Norton, Andre. Dragon Magic; illus. by Robin Jacques. T. Y. Crowell, 1972. 213p. $4.50.

Four stories that are fanciful occur as episodes lived by each of four boys, theAd whole set within a realistic framework. In a dusty abandoned house Sig finds a box4-6 that has on its cover four dragons, each in a different color. One by one, he and the

other three put together the pieces, each working separately and with a differentcolor, and each boy slips back in time to an adventure: Sig, who is of Germandescent, lives an episode in ancient times and fights the dragon Fafnir, a black boybecomes a Nubian slave of princely blood in Babylon, a boy of Chinese descentgoes back in time to China; Artie Jones becomes Artos Pendragon. When the fourboys meet and talk about their experiences, they become friends. The framework isnot quite substantial enough to compete with the four fanciful episodes, and is

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subordinate to them; they are imaginative and wholly-conceived, but written inrather ornate style.

Ojigbo, A. Okion, comp. Young and Black in Africa. Random House, 1971. 107p. illus.$3.95.

Seven excerpts from autobiographies, plus one reprinted article, each prefacedR by the editor's introductory remarks, give a picture-collage in effect-of facets of6-10 African life. All but one of the selections are contemporary, and they include

reminiscences of childhood, reactions to the United States, an example of theindignity and injustice of apartheid, and a country boy's experiences on a first visitto a city. The one older selection is from Olaudah Equiano's life story, the excerptdescribing how he was kidnapped into slavery in 1756. The writing styles vary fromflat narrative to a lively sense of the dramatic (Peter Abrahams) but the material isalways interesting and often moving.

Olsen, Ib Spang. Smoke; written and illus. by Ib Spang Olsen; tr. by Virginia Alien Jensen.Coward, 1972.40p. $4.95.

A new book from the new winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal hasR Olsen's typical vigor and humor, and the combination of realism and fantasy he hasK-2 used in the past. Here a family bent on a country outing discover that the air is

everywhere polluted by smoke. They cap one set of chimneys in a factory withtheir personal belongings (with a hat grown ridiculously large covering onechimneytop, for example) and empty their pockets to pay for stopping the smokein another factory. What they do is nonsensical, but it gets the message across:pollution is not somebody else's concern, but something each of us can work toabolish. The plot is servant to the message but the book is not overburdened, sincethe style is light and the pictures gay.

Perl, Lila. Me and Fat Glenda. Seabury, 1972.185p. $4.95.

Sara Mayberry's parents are (sometimes embarassingly) nonconformists. WhenM they move to the East from California, they travel in an old garbage truck; their4-6 new house is almost barren of furniture while the yard is filled with junk sculpture.

None of this is appealing to conservative neighbors, and Sara knows it. Howevermuch Glenda's mother disapproves, Glenda, who is indeed hefty, becomes Sara'sfriend. The story is centered on the unstable friendship of the two girls, a narrativepunctuated by Sara's recipes for alphabetburgers, printed upside down. Alphabet-burgers are Sara's inventions-appleburgers, beanburgers, etc.-which she cooksbecause her parents live on health foods, and both their mention and the upsidedown printing become awkward interruptions of the story. The assets of the bookare the acceptance of off-beat parents and the easy, natural dialogue. The plot,however, is diffuse and basically ineffective.

Philipson, Morris. Everything Changes; illus. by Kelly Oechsli. Pantheon Books, 1972. 30p.Trade ed. $4.50; Library ed. $4.99 net.

Lively and humorous pictures illustrate a book that takes a positive attitudeAd toward change, a phenomenon that can both baffle and frighten children. The4-6 bouncy text rhymes, pointing out changes in the weather and growth in animals,yrs. and throughout the book the phrase recurs: "Everything changes all of the time."

Sample snatches: "Dogs were once puppies/ Cats little kittens/ Frogs were firsttadpoles/ Hens little chickens ... Wool from a sheep can make a warm sweater/

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Gloves, caps and shoes can be made of soft leather.. ." And then to the real point:people change most of all: sad people can become happy, mean people can learnwhy to say thanks (unfortunately, the illustration suggests that the reason isbirthday presents) and a stranger may become a friend. While there's ageneralization here and there, never underestimate the power of positive thinking:this may reassure an apprehensive preschool child.

Platt, Kin. Hey, Dummy. Chilton, 1971. 171p. $4.95.

Neil is at first both amused and repelled by the retarded boy who has movedAd into the neighborhood and is attending his school, but he soon begins to feel8-10 sympathy for Alan (the "Dummy" of the title) and to defend him when others

tease him. And Alan responds, following Neil affectionately. Soon rejected by hisother friends, worried by Alan's situation (autistic sister, withdrawn mother, fatherin an institution, home a shambles) and bitterly conscious of the harshness andhostility of his own parents, Neil is driven to run off with Alan. When they arecaught, tension has pushed Neil to the breaking-point, and his sympathy for Alanresults in his identifying with Alan. There has been, throughout the book, atrain-of-consciousness reaction from the retarded Alan, and the startling ending hasthe same disjointed and monosyllabic speech (always italicized) only this time it isNeil. He has become a dummy, too. Not quite as effective as Platt's other study of adisturbed child (perhaps because the focus is broader here and therefore morediffuse) this is, nevertheless, a perceptive treatment of a child's sensitivity.Artistically it suffers somewhat because there is so little relief from the almostuniversal reactions of suspicion, intolerance, fear, and hostility on the parts of theadult characters.

Raskin, Ellen. Franklin Stein; written and illus. by Ellen Raskin. Atheneum, 1972. 30p.$4.95.

Locked in an attic room, Franklin had been sawing and hammering away,R making a complicated and ingenious construction (Rube Goldberg cartoon-type)K-2 which he called Fred. Franklin Stein's sister sneered at Fred, and when he (or it)

was lowered from the attic window, other people saw him and agreed."Evil ... awful ... Eek! .. .wicked," were some of the comments, and policemanFoster wrote in his book, "Atrocious, ferocious, ghastly giant monster ... " But thejudge of the pet show to which Franklin Stein and Fred were hurrying thoughtotherwise, and the fickle crowd was soon singing the praises of the ingenious pieceof junk construction. The story is written with sparkling wit and in a sophisticatedstyle, and the illustrations-which echo the humor of the text-are effective both inthe use of color (bright, clear shades of red, blue, and green) and in the way inwhich they complement and supplement the story.

Roth, David. The Winds of Summer. Criterion Books/Abelard-Schuman, 1972. 192p. $4.95.

Fifteen-year-old Petey Shannon is determined to earn enough money by the firstAd of September to buy back his father's boat, Wild Wind, taken by the undertaker in6-9 payment of funeral expenses. His grandfather is dubious, but Petey is convinced

that between lobstering with Granddad and working on his uncle's garbage truck,he can do it. The story of hard work and success is given some vitality by includinga love story and by Petey's fight against the marauding tactics of Spider Tate (theman his father was fighting with when he died) who has just come back fromprison. The writing style is a bit heavy, and the action is almost all at one level, but

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the plot is adequately structured and realistic, and the characterization is credible ifnot deep.

Schiller, Barbara, ad. The Wandering Knight; ad. and retold by Barbara Schiller; illus. byHerschel Levit. Dutton, 1971. 55p. $4.50.

An adaptation based on the writings of Sir Thomas Mallory; an author's noteAd explains that at the time he wrote The Noble Tale of Sir Launcelot du Lake,5-6 Mallory had not yet read the French accounts (on which his own work was based)

of the love between Lancelot and Guinevere. This, then, is the story of the youngknight on his search for adventure, and it consists of several episodes in whichLancelot meets and bests other knights, usually at the behest of a fair damsel. Thereader enamored of knighthood and legend will enjoy the action and the hero'sprowess, but the story is less cohesive than others by Barbara Schiller, and theepisodes, however they begin, are repetitive.

Shannon, Terry. Zoo Safari; The New Look in Zoos; by Terry Shannon and Charles Payzant;illus. with photographs. Golden Gate, 1971. 78p. Trade ed. $4.95; Library ed.$4.79 net.

Although the continuous text is not carefully organized but tends to ramble, theR material it provides is interesting enough to compensate for the lack of focus.4-7 Profusely illustrated by photographs, the book describes the zoos and wild animal

parks of today, with their freedom for the animals, natural barriers rather thanbarred cages, concentration on specialized collections instead of one or two ofmany species, and the increased understanding of animals' needs that make suchnew zoos a place where observers can learn-and possibly some animal species besaved. Brisk and informal in style, sympathetic without sentimentality. An index isappended.

Silverman, Alvin, ed. The Best of Sport, 1946-1971. Viking, 1971. 615p. illus. $12.50.

Editor of Sport magazine, Al Silverman has gathered, in an anthology thatR should prove enticing to sports fans, stories about outstanding athletes written by6- outstanding sportswriters. The emphasis is on the individual rather than on games,

the material has been gathered with discrimination, and the book is varied both inthe styles of the articles and the subjects they describe. The material is groupedchronologically, and it gives, in addition to lively portraits of athletic stars, someauthoritative information on what happens in the world of sports: relations withthe press, the effect of television, finances, and strategy behind the scenes.

Steiner, Charlotte. Look What Tracy Found; written and illus. by Charlotte Steiner. Knopf,1972. 28p. $4.39.

Large, sparse drawings face a page in which the text, printed in very large type, isAd balanced by plenty of white space. The writing style is flat, but the combination of3-6 text and pictures may incite small listeners to the kind of imaginative play thatyrs. needs no elaborate props or equipment. Tracy has only a stick. But with an

ordinary stick, she pretends to row a boat, she fishes in a puddle, she playsthrow-and-retrieve with her dog, she frightens off a boy ("Mean Max") and signalsto her mother by rapping on the window.

Stepp, Ann. A Silkworm Is Born. Sterling, 1972. 96p. illus. (Sterling Nature Series). Tradeed. $3.50; Library ed. $3.96 net.

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Although not written with the sense of wonder that is in the Guilcher andR Noailles books in the series, this is a competent and detailed description of both the4-7 life cycle of the Bombyx mori and of the procedures by which men obtain its silk.

For the silkworm, life cycle and usefulness to man are inseparable, because itcannot fly or feed itself and would probably not survive if it were not bred for itscocoons. Magnified photographs add to the usefulness of the text; an index isappended.

Turska, Krystyna. Tamara and the Sea Witch; written and illus. by Krystyna Turska. Parents'Magazine, 1972. 31p. Trade ed. $3.95; Library ed. $3.78 net.

First published in Great Britain, a story with a Slavic background and brilliant,Ad vigorous illustrations that complement the mood of the fairy tale, which has many3-5 of the familiar elements of the genre: the witch in disguise, the husband-prince

rescued from his thrall, the wife enjoined never to investigate or she will lose herhusband. Tamara, who has agreed to marry a man whom she knows only by voice,adores her handsome husband but cannot resist the forbidden: she asks his name.He vanishes, she searches for him, and by dint of the help and magic of creaturesshe has befriended, she finds her husband and frees him from the spell of the SeaWitch, and they live contentedly and in peace for the rest of their days. Adequatein style, and strikingly illustrated, the story both in its vocabulary and in its plot aresuitable for the middle-grades reader who may scorn the oversize format moreusually used for the picture book age.

Van Riper, Guernsey. The Mighty Macs; Three Famous Baseball Managers; illus. by DomLupo. Garrard, 1972. 96p. $2.79.

Connie Mack, Joe McGraw, and Joe McCarthy are discussed in a baseball bookM that is written and illustrated in pedestrian style ("When he took the Giant3-5 job ... ") but will undoubtedly appeal to readers who love the game. Each of the

three biographical sketches has a smattering of information about the subject'schildhood, with some standard fictionalization in the incidents, and proceeds to theglories of a great career. Endpapers carry a diagram of a diamond, with additionalfacts given in a side panel, and the photographs are interesting.

Watson, Nancy Dingman. Tommy's Mommy's Fish; illus. by Aldren A. Watson. Viking,1971. 28p. Trade ed. $4.50; Library ed. $4.13 net.

His older brothers and sisters offered to let Tommy share in the presents theyAd were making for Mommy's birthday, but he wanted to find his own gift. He decidedK-2 to catch a fish. Striped bass, it would be. Doggedly, knowing the birthday dinner

had started, the five-year-old sat on until the moon rose-and he had a bite. Just intime to see the birthday candles lit, Tommy marched in cradling in his arms a largebass. Tommy' persistence and the kindness of his siblings are strengths that balancethe weakness of a sedate style in a story written unconvincingly as the first-personaccount of a child of five. The clean, bare drawings in pastel colors evoke thewind-swept atmosphere of the seashore.

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slisher of the item, not

3 p. Vol. II, 284p. $1526.

" Elementary English,

implified. Audiovisual. Box 26002, Raleigh,

58p. $15.

aries Unlimited, 1971.

aries Unlimited, 1971.

ountries or Languages.or Canada; $10.45

id Junior High Grades.

ic Books, 1971. 280p.

i Middle Class Eighth

81

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a i·i

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